How to Use a Tripod

When dealing with slow shutter speeds, a solid tripod is a must-have tool for eliminating camera shake and capturing sharp photographs. Although setting up a tripod and effectively utilizing it for photography needs at first sounds simple and self-explanatory, I often come across photographers that do not know how to properly use a tripod. Even though you could own the most expensive tripod on the market and know exactly what to do to yield razor sharp images, your images could still be suffering from poor framing choices. In this article, I want to explore the proper techniques for setting up, handling and using tripods.

NIKON D800 + 85mm f/1.8 @ 85mm, ISO 400, 1/50, f/8.0

Invest in a Good Tripod System

Before I get into the topic of using tripods, I first want to highlight the importance of investing in a good tripod system. Unfortunately, many of us end up making poor choices when it comes to purchasing tripods. I remember how I started out with a few cheap tripods, then bought a moderately-priced tripod, only to realize that I needed something better. Overtime, I spent too much on “experimenting” with different tripods. Don’t go through the same process like I did and invest in a good tripod system sooner than later. If you are overwhelmed with choices and do not know where to start, see my detailed article on choosing a tripod. Keep in mind that good tripods often do not come with a head, so make sure to carefully pick a solid head for your tripod as well. The type of head you pick will depend on what you shoot, but the most common type on the market today is a ballhead, which does well for various photography needs.

NIKON D800E + 800mm f/5.6 @ 1600mm, ISO 800, 1/500, f/11.0

When to Use a Tripod

It is important to know when you need to use a tripod. Shooting hand-held is effortless compared to setting up a tripod and mounting the camera on it, which is why many of us (myself included), prefer shooting hand-held when possible. Although most modern cameras are capable of producing excellent results with very low noise levels at high ISOs and thus have certainly reduced the need to use tripods, tripods are still preferred in low-light situations, especially when one desires highest quality images with little or no noise on high-resolution cameras. Since there are so many variables involved, such as camera hand-holding technique, shutter speed, ISO performance, sensor size, focal length, image stabilization, lens sharpness and camera to subject distance, there is no magic formula for figuring out exactly when a tripod must be used.

There are some considerations though, so here is the list based on my personal experience:

Weight: if gear is very heavy, it is best to avoid hand-holding it, especially when photographing for extended periods of time. Trying to hand-hold a 600mm f/4 lens with a professional DSLR will quickly tire your hands, even if you work out every day.

Photography Genres: Landscape, Macro, Architecture and some other photography genres might require tripod use for precision, framing and consistency, even if light conditions are good. One might want to introduce intentional motion blur, such as when photographing waterfalls, moving clouds and other movements. Also, some specific techniques such as Panorama, HDR, Timelapse and Exposure Blending might also require tripod use.

Hand-Holding Technique, Reciprocal Rule and Image Stabilization: knowing how to properly hand-hold your camera is important, but if shutter speed is too low, you might still be introducing camera shake. As a general guideline, the reciprocal rule works quite well, which basically says that your shutter speed should be at least what the focal length is. For example, if you are photographing with a 300mm lens, your shutter speed should be at least 1/300 of a second. If you have a crop sensor camera, make sure to multiply the focal length with the crop factor. Lastly, if you have image stabilization in your camera or on your lens, turn it on and know that you can lower your shutter speed below the reciprocal rule by two stops or more (depends on image stabilization effectiveness and your hand-holding technique).

ISO Performance and Acceptable Level of Noise: some of the modern full-frame cameras are capable of producing superb images at high ISOs without introducing too much noise, losing lots of dynamic range and colors. However, there is always a fine line between what the camera can do and what your preference is in terms of what you consider acceptable. Some photographers do not mind seeing lots of noise, while others are bothered by even a hint of it. Decide what you consider acceptable for your camera and if the conditions call for higher ISOs, you will know when tripod use will be mandatory.

Print / Output Size: how large you are planning to print or display your images is also important. If you need amazing pixel-level quality for those large billboard-size prints or ultra high-resolution monitors, you might need to shoot at low ISO levels, which result in slower shutter speeds. However, if you are not interested in printing and only want to showcase your images on the web, then you could take advantage of resizing / down-sampling of images, which will drastically reduce blur, noise and other problems in images.

Focal Length and Subject Distance: the longer the lens, the faster your shutter speed will need to be to yield sharp images when shooting hand-held. Subject distance is also important – if the subject is far away and represents a small part of your frame, poor sharpness will be much more obvious.

Camera and Lens Resolution: The more resolution your camera has, the more demanding it will be on your lenses and your hand-holding technique, so keep this in mind.

NIKON D800E + 28-300mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 40mm, ISO 100, 1/4, f/8.0

Do Not Let Your Tripod Dictate Framing and Composition

One of the major pitfalls with tripods, is developing tunnel vision for framing and composition. Many of us fully extend tripod legs, set up the camera and then start framing and composing our shots. How many times have you seen photographers stacked up like this:

NIKON D3S + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 32mm, ISO 3200, 1/8, f/8.0

All capturing the same scene at the same angle. Before you set up your tripod, walk around the area, look for good angles and work on the composition with your camera hand-held. Drop down, look at lower angles or move higher up and look for a different perspective. Once you figure out what your shoot will look like, only then open up your tripod and mount your camera on it. Develop this habit of working with your tripod and avoid doing it the other way around. Do not let your tripod hinder your creativity and dictate your framing and composition!

Setting Up Tripod

Now that you have your shot framed and composed, let’s now talk about proper usage techniques:

Tripod Placement and Leveling: Before you start setting up the tripod, first identify where it will be placed. While most locations have firm and flat grounds making it easy to set up a tripod, some places can be very tricky, requiring some of the tripod feet to be extended shorter or longer to be fully secure. Always make sure that the tripod base is properly leveled – use those bubble levels on the tripod legs. You want the load in the center of the tripod to be distributed evenly to all three legs. The last thing you want is accidents with your gear crashing down! Also, be extremely careful about placing tripod feet on anything that moves or can potentially break (thin ice, sand, etc).

Extend Thick Leg Sections First: My Gitzo Traveler tripod is lightweight, but its legs are quite thin on the bottom. If I only need to use one or two sections, I will be extending the thicker ones and leaving out the thin ones, because it will make the tripod more stable. The same goes for all other tripods – the top sections are always going to be the thickest and the strongest.

Fully Open Up the Legs: All tripods will have stopping points where the legs will not open up any further. Always make sure to spread those legs all the way – you do not want heavy equipment to suddenly spread legs when shooting, potentially ruining not only your shot, but also your equipment.

Leg Placement: When placing your tripod, it is a good idea to point of the tripod legs towards the subject / scene middle, so that you could stand between the other two legs.

Use Center Column as a Last Resort: I avoid center columns / posts like plague, but sometimes I have no other choice when my equipment needs to be physically higher. I always make sure to extend all the legs first and if that’s not enough, only then use it. Why? Because center columns always destabilize your setup – it is a single point of connection versus three. If you do use the center column, always make sure that the tripod base is leveled, so that the center post is in vertical orientation – you do not want to angle it, as the weight of the camera might make your tripod fall on the heavy side.

Secure Your Camera / Lens Tightly: To avoid potential accidents, always make sure to secure your camera or lens tightly. Once you mount your gear, hold it with your hands and try to move it. There should be no wiggling or shaking of any sort.

Camera L Bracket: When mounting your camera on the tripod head, it is always a good idea to use an L Bracket instead of a single plate on the bottom of the camera. With a regular plate, your camera will be heavier on one side in portrait orientation, which might not be secure. L Brackets can be expensive, as they are made specifically for each camera, but they are worth the investment in the long run.

Long / Heavy Lens Mounting: If you are using a heavy lens, always make sure to mount the lens on your tripod using its tripod collar, instead of mounting your camera and letting your lens hang off the mount. Not only will you keep your camera safe from potentially breaking or bending the lens mount, but you will also end up with a much more stable setup.

Head Flip Lock Release Considerations: Flip locks are nice and convenient, but you always have to make sure that the plates are of the right size for your head. This is especially important for Arca-Swiss plates, which can vary in size depending on the country and manufacturer.

Tripod Hook: If your tripod is equipped with a hook on the bottom, or perhaps in the center column, hanging your camera bag or a sandbag can provide extra stability. However, if it is very windy and your bag is not heavy enough, it could have a detrimental effect, potentially destabilizing your setup.

NIKON D700 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ 24mm, ISO 800, 1/25, f/5.6

Using Tripod

After your tripod and camera are fully set up, it is time to employ additional techniques to avoid camera shake:

Camera Strap: Camera straps are convenient to have on your camera, but once mounted on a tripod, can cause camera shake in windy situations.

Shoot at Base ISO and Turn Off Auto ISO: Most cameras have the least amount of noise and the highest dynamic range at their base ISO (usually between ISO 64 and 200), so use the lowest native setting. Make sure to turn off Auto ISO.

Use Cable Release: Squeezing the shutter release with your fingers will surely cause camera shake, so it is a good idea to use a remote / cable release.

Self-Timer: Adding a two+ second delay with self-timer is usually a good idea, especially if you do not have a remote / cable release.

Mirror Up: If you have a DSLR, its mirror causes a lot of vibration when it moves up before each exposure. Using Mirror Up will raise the mirror first, then you can wait a little before taking the shot. Mirror Up requires a remote / cable release.

Exposure Delay: If your camera has exposure delay feature and you do not have a remote / cable release, exposure delay mode can help effectively eliminate camera shake. With exposure delay, the camera mirror will go up, then the camera will wait for a specified time before taking a picture. On some cameras you can specify the amount of time to wait. Some cameras allow you to use a self timer in combination with exposure delay.

Electronic Front Curtain Shutter: A number of new DSLRs (like Nikon D810) and mirrorless cameras have the Electronic Front Curtain Shutter feature. With this feature turned on, the camera will not operate its shutter mechanism at the beginning of the exposure, which can completely eliminate any kind of camera shake. If you are shooting with a DSLR, you will have to be in Mirror Up mode though and there might be other limitations. Although this feature is usually off by default, I would recommend to turn it on and use it actively.

Turn Off Image Stabilization: Unless your lens has a specific image stabilization mode to be used on tripods, you should always keep it turned off. When your gear is on a stable setup, you do not want image stabilization to try to compensate for movement that is not there.

SLT-A77V + DT 16-50mm F2.8 SSM @ 20mm, ISO 100, 1/1, f/8.0

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About Nasim Mansurov

Nasim Mansurov is the author and founder of Photography Life, based out of Denver, Colorado. He is recognized as one of the leading educators in the photography industry, conducting workshops, producing educational videos and frequently writing content for Photography Life. You can follow him on Instagram, 500px and Facebook. Read more about Nasim here.

Reader Interactions

Comments

1) AutofocusRoss

January 11, 2015 at 5:44 am

Great Advice Nasim, our use of tripods has evolved in a similar way, I started with a moderately heavy, but inflexible Slik tripod 25 years ago and it was a brute to operate. I found I was using the camera hand-held all the time in preference to lugging the tripod around. I then got a light tripod and disposed of the old Slik, only to find the new one was too light, and introduced slight motion. This got me on to cable release and other techniques (on a film camera) to negate motion, and when I moved to digital, I went for another heavy tripod with separate ball head. This later proved too much for transportation, so I have now settled on a velbon travel tripod, I think it’s called the Ultra Trek. It is far from perfect, but, it does have all the features I need, from the spreadeagled low level position some 300mm from the ground, to shoulder height, while being light enough to lug around anywhere, and folding smaller than normal tripods to make that transportation easier still. Being lighter, as you’d imagine, makes it vulnerable to slight motion if you are not ‘tripod aware’. As a keen D5200 shooter, let me explain how I set up the camera for non-action shots. The D5200 in common with many modern Nikons has the EXPOSURE DELAY mode which you set by accesing the menu: Menu (button) / Custom Settings Menu / Shooting Display / d5 Exposure Delay Mode / ON. This prevents the shutter from immediate exposure when you release it. The camera times a small delay of approx one second, to allow any vibration to settle down. If I have my cable or remote release with me, I will trigger the shutter using that, otherwise, the camera can be set on Self Timer by using the release mode button on the top plate, delineated with an analogue clock symbol. Set the self timer to two seconds, or five seconds, and release. When you do this, the timer counts down as normal, and activates the shutter. However, as you have set EXPOSURE DELAY to ON, when the timer reaches zero, instead of taking an exposure, instead, the mirror flips up, and the camera pauses (as before, one second). After that timer, and that delay period, the shutter ONLY, will activate, by opening and closing. The mirror therefore does not cause any vibration to the rig, as it is already up before the shutter releases. If you have a different DSLR camera, the use of Live View is another way to get your mirror up well before you take an exposure, as it moves up in order to allow light to get to your sensor and LCD screen for composing the shot. Use Live View with a cable or remote release if you have no Mirror Up control, or if you have no Exposure Delay control on your camera. One reason I love the D5200 is that the LCD screen swivels out and around so you can view it from above. I often use live view to compose this way, when the camera is on a tripod but set at a low level, eg knee height. This allows a perfect view of the capture area, and then I either take the shot, or return to normal viewfinder mode and expose, as above. In either case, just before exposing a shot, I put my palm on the hotshoe of the camera, and gently push down, approx 2kg of force, to stabilise my tripod – it is quite a light model. The elements of exposure delay, cable release, mirror up, live view, and a little physical pressure on the tripod seem to work perfectly. You can choose which combination of these, depending on the camera, the tripod, and the terrain, in order to get perfect stability. I find ball heads much better, as the controls are more compact. The point about using the lens’ tripod collar, if fitted, is very important, as it moves the centre of gravity nearer to the tripod mount, preventing strain and leverage on both the tripod ball, and the lens mount, as Nasim pointed out above. I wish I was a bit younger, fitter, and stronger, I would love to carry my previous Giottos tripod ‘into battle’ but it was simply too heavy, especially if I wanted to carry most, or all, of my lenses too. Thanks for the article Nasim, there are so many articles about lenses and cameras, and the fundamental business of using a tripod is so important – especially (but not restricted) to landscape shooters. Regards, Ross

Many good and useful tips. I do have one question regarding auto ISO. I’ve just begun experimenting using auto ISO hand held but not yet with a tripod. Why do you recommend not to use Auto ISO with a tripod.

The lower the ISO the sharper the image. 100 – 200 ISO being the optimum range depending on your camera. A tripod will allow you to shoot in that ISO range, even in low light conditions where a higher shutter speed is needed – say 8 – 10 or even 25 seconds. If choosing auto ISO, the camera may opt for a far higher ISO and lower shutter speed but the result can be more noise and reduced sharpness.

I understand thank you. I shoot manual so I can choose the shutter speed and aperture and auto ISO selects the ISO value. I typically shoot full manual selecting the ISO, shutter speed and aperture but recently fooling around with auto ISO in manual mode. So I’m think

Guest, Auto ISO is very helpful in many situations involving varied lighting and in either A, or S priority. Even in manual, should your lighting change the ISO will change as well and if you are interested in shooting at low ISO the camera will compensate for the decrease in lighting should that occur. When I shoot in manual, everything I do is manual including the ISO and experiment with Auto ISO for action or street scenes. When shooting kids sports, I shoot in manual, set my shutter speed and f stop and let Auto ISO decide where it wants to be. Most of the images I make this way never get enlarged bigger than 8×10 and 4×6 or 5×7 is the more likely enlargement. When I utilized the D7100 I wouldn’t worry until the ISO got over 2500. With the D750 I can shoot at 6000 and not be too concerned with the noise factor. However, for landscape of any kind, I am always on a tripod and shooting in full manual at the lowest native ISO my cameras will allow. Hope this helps and probably nothing you didn’t already know.

Mike- Actually the “guest” is Valerie Doane. I was trying to multitask while on the treadmill with my iPad and before I had completed the post all of a sudden it was gone and had been posted! I didn’t realize I wasn’t signed in and I did try to delete the message but I see I was not successful. I’ve never had a lot of luck typing on the iPad while working out on the treadmill. I apologize for the incoherent and uncompleted message as “guest.” I did repost the completed version as me, Valerie Doane. One thing I’ve learned today is to give up multitasking while on the treadmill! LOL. Back to ISO- So I’m not sold using auto ISO in manual mode but do want to continue experimenting and I think it would be okay to use the tripod since I ultimately would have control of the SS. I have never gone as high as ISO 2500 but am willing to fool around with it. Thanks again.

Ah! Valerie, I know you know what you are doing and like you I shoot mostly in manual. I like that control as we did in the film days. (I’m a geezer). However, once switching to digital I have learned a lot of techniques utilizing features in camera that are very helpful. One such feature, for certain kind of events, is Auto ISO, when the capture is more important than the noise or grain as we called it. For me, as a working professional, it is very important to bring in the work and when necessary, Auto ISO is the feature I can trust. Just sayin’.

Simon thanks for your reply. I understand but I typically shoot full manual mode it’s just recently that I’m testing out auto ISO in manual mode so I can still select my own shutter speed and aperture. I’m using the D 7100 and it allows you to do so. When using auto ISO in manual mode the camera does not select the shutter speed and aperture. So perhaps Nasim suggested not using auto ISO in the context of shooting in an auto mode such as AP or SS Priority.

Valerie, normally we use auto ISO as a ‘third’ variable in the exposure ‘mix’. Say you had a scene which demanded 1/250 sec @ F8 @ ISO 200 and you moved to a darker area needing more exposure. In Auto ISO the shutter speed (if you set it up in Auto ISO) might be stuck at a minimum of 1/250th and thus, the aperture, and / or the ISO would need to shift in order to give you correct exposure. The ethos of Auto ISO then, is to set up the camera to give you as sharp an image as possible, by maintaining a preset minimum shutter speed, and playing the other two variables to give correct exposure. This is almost always because the camera is being hand-held, and the photographer wishes to avoid motion blur across the whole image, by allowing a slower shutter speed. Note that whatever shutter speed is needed will depend upon the focal length of the lens, wide angle = slower speeds, telephoto = higher speeds (due to the magnification of moving the camera slightly). Having said all that, when we move to a tripod, the usual reason is to, again, preserve detail in the image, by avoiding camera movement. It is also usual to use the lowest possible ISO in order to get the sharpest results. In that situation, you pre-set your ISO and ensure it is not set to auto, and then allow the camera to choose the shutter speed once you have chosen the aperture. The prevailing light conditions will enable the camera light meter to do that, and get a perfectly exposed image. The low ISO will help the image to be even better, and the aperture will control depth of focus in the image. The only Auto in this situation is the shutter speed, which is set for the appropriate exposure. (if you are shooting in manual, you will need to make the adjustments to shutter speed and aperture yourself, based on metering the scene). So, as I hope you can now see, low ISO and not Auto ISO is THE important setting for tripod photography. Hope this helps. Ross

Hi Ross: On the D7100 there is a mirror up setting on shooting command dial. I don’t know if the D5200 has this or not. When I shoot on a tripod, I put the camera on mirror up and use a remote trigger. The first push of the remote trigger raises the mirror and the shutter doesn’t fire until you push the trigger again. I think this accomplishes the same thing as the exposure delay but obviously you need the mirror up setting for it to work. One other thing – the remote release has to be one of the least expensive Nikon accessories I have seen at about $30. A very worthwhile investment in my opinion. Thanks for sharing your insight. Cheers Gord

Hi Gord, yes, every camera is different, I hope my explanation covers every camera in every eventuality. In fact, there are several different ways of doing this on most cameras, with or without a dedicated MU lock. On the cable release, I have two, one about 500mm long, the other about 3m long, they came from a generic supplier in china, via ebay, one cost me about £3 the other about £5 – and they work brilliantly, two-stage release, just like the camera shutter, plus a slide-lock for timed or ‘B’ exposure. Great bargains!

Hi ross I also have a d5200 got it a yr ago and still haven’t gotten out of auto mode, I mostly take indoor shots of grandkids and outdoor shots but I wld like to use other modes, my daughter got me bryan pattersons book understanding exposure but it isn’t sinking in im m ore of a hands on cld you give me examples of some settings and modes you use for indoor shots? I want to get a 35mm lens I have read it is good for lowlight shots and a good all around lens. any suggestions would be helpful thank you

Hi Trish, Don’t be too intimidated with the huge menu choices on the camera. It is just like learning to drive. One thing at a time, while trying to remember the last three things that you learned yesterday! To people unfamiliar with what exposure actually is, I paraphrase as near as I can something I read in a magazine or book many years ago. To get this started, you’ll probably be more familiar with film, than with digital, so, for clarity, try to think of the ‘sensor’ in the camera as being the ‘film’ – it sits where the film used to be, and the light from the lens strikes it when you take a picture. Now, think of that sensor as being an empty glass. To get the correct EXPOSURE you need to fill that glass with something, think of it as water, but it is actually LIGHT that we are going to fill it with. Next, think of the camera as having two controls, the shutter and the aperture. These would compare to a faucet (tap in the UK) and the lever on the faucet would be the shutter, and the degree to which you open the lever, will determing the aperture. Taking that last paragraph again, the shutter speed = the time that the faucet is actually allowing water to flow, and the lever position = the quantity of water flowing through per second. Clearly, the glass will be filled if you open the faucet completely, AND if you open it so only a dribble of water is allowed to flow. The only difference is, the time it will take to fill the glass. So it is with shutter speed, and aperture. The bigger the size of the aperture (the hole created by the aperture blades inside the lens) then, the less time that is needed to get enough light onto the sensor for correct exposure. Here are some combinations of speed & apertures for you to mull over. In each case, the EXPOSURE is identical. f8 + 1/125th f11 + 1/60th f16 + 1/30th f5.6 + 1/250th In a given level of brightness, the quantity of light the sensor needs is fixed by a combination of, how much light, and, for how long the light is allowed through the lens. If the background level of light changes, the above exposure settings will need to change too. If it goes slightly darker, just taking two of the above as an example, you would need to set: f8 + 1/60th f11 + 1/30th This change would mean a one stop reduction in the illumination of your scene, and the need to give the camera an extra one stop of exposure. The same would apply if the illumination got brighter (eg, the sun came out) where your f8 aperture may now need just 1/250th for proper exposure. Regarding lens choice, I am assuming you got the camera with either a 18-55mm or an 18-105 or even a 18-140mm lens. Two lenses jump out at me, the 35mm and the 50mm AF-S G f1.8 Nikkor lenses. With grandkids you may find the 50mm the better choice of the two, but to find out, set your zoom lens to 50mm and try shooting with it – without adjusting the zoom at all. You can try setting it to 35mm and shoot a while with that – again without adjusting the zoom – and whichever length you find best is the one to go for. 50mm pulls images closer on a D5200 and may be easier for candid shots of the grandkids, if you tend to pose them first, however, you might find 35mm a better choice, but most would go for the 50mm in my experience. Hope that helps, Ross.

Hello Nassim, Certainly a welcome article to brush up rusty heads LOL. There are so any of us who are either lazy to move around with the tripod or use it in a hurry. These are the basics and revisiting makes sense. Thank You.

I especially like what you said about framing first and then setting up the tripod. I have learned to do that after having everything set up in a place I realized I did not want to take the picture!

I would also add the advantages (to some kinds of photography) of a geared head. (I use a Manfrotto 410.) Of course, this allows the photographer to make very precise framing, which is great for buildings and interiors. I especially love to make sure my verticals are exactly right. Using a geared head along with the grid lines in the viewfinder can make for controlled lines in the image. This can be achieved in post (I use DxO View Point), but I like the process of precise framing. It makes me think about the image before I take it.

Geared heads can be great too, I agree. I used to own a Manfrotto 405 head and when coupled with an Arca Swiss plate (had to be modified), it was quite solid. It did not work out for my particular needs at the end (had a little bit of “play”, which I could not have for testing lenses), but for any other needs, it is a very precise and easy to use head.

excellent article as always from you;)! To have a good, sturdy tripod is one of the most underrated accessories & essential tool esp. for landscape and macro shooters! Lens & body stabilization/ IBIS cannot replace it! Never-ever! We made good experience with tripods and heads from Sirui (even better than Manfrottos!) so far! We can recommend them wholeheartedly esp. for those on a tight budget! Excellent price/performance ratio!

Keep going and take care!

PS: Ming Thein has recently published two articles about the importance of the tripod and how to pick the best one on his blog too…;)

Thank you Sieno, appreciate the feedback! I heard a lot of good things about Sirui and I am sure it is a product with great value. Didn’t see Ming Thein’s articles on tripods, looks like he also covered the topic in detail – a great and trustworthy resource, without a doubt.

Andre, I’m sure Nasim will address this question but my .02 here is for the clamp. I don’t particularly like the lever lock clamps unless they absolutely match the L-bracket or camera plate you are using. If I use the screw clamp I know everything is secure albeit slower to employ.

Monopod is good compromise between hand held and carrying a tripod. Won’t work for multisecond exposures, but compared with a tripod, a monopod sets up faster and can be positioned in more ways, and using tilt LCD, is excellent for possition close to ground, useful in ultrawide landscapes and essential in wildflower macro. It’s low tech VR.

Would totally disagree. Monopods have one point of stability. Unless you create other stable points (tree, fence, wall) you still have risk of motion. Using alternate points may cause you to lose the composition you want

Richard, that’s a great point, thanks for sharing. Tom Redd wrote an excellent guide on how to use a monopod, so I hope it helps others in deciding how to properly hold it in different situations. Monopod is great for some situations, particularly for sports, but it is completely useless for very low shutter speeds. I would never try to do a cityscape at night with a monopod :)

I’m not sure who it was on this site (Tom Redd or Thomas Stirr?) who advocated propping a camera on a beanbag (e.g. for shooting out of a stationary car’s window). Any similarly firm but soft object can work brilliantly in a pinch. Again, you’re even more likely to suffer from composition by convenience issues.

Tricks like this and using one’s hand to eliminate flare remind me of something I learned in the early days of desktop publishing. I was having terrible problems creating page layouts combining vector art and bitmap art when I saw that experienced graphic designers simply printed both onto bromide separately and then put the layout together with x-acto knives and beeswax. Producing great work is about getting the job done, not purity of process.

What a great topic and discussion. Very thorough and informative. I wholeheartedly agree with your sage advice. Your photographs are just splendid!

Regarding your excellent points on the tripod and composition, I share those concerns. I have had this discussion multiple times with my fellow photographers, including my tour and workshop leaders in California and Iceland a few years ago when I was in the early stages of learning this craft. Surprisingly, there is an interesting mix of agreement and disagreement on this point. As photographers, we have uniform agreement that the tripod is an invaluable tool to achieving sharp photographs. However, as you wisely point out, Nasim, the tripod can too easily rob creativity and stunt the growth of the formative mind for the exact the reasons that you outline: missing a composition that can be seen only with the eyes and feet moving in unison. Sadly, the tripod can (and very often does) interfere with the critical process of visualization, a cardinal sin in photography, at least in my book. On the other hand, when circumstances dictate that a tripod must be used to get the shot, then you definitely have to use it. Indeed, the tripod is one of my personal favorite “friend or foe” tales in photography, of which there are a few others . . .

If I may, I would like to add a couple of tips pertaining to camera/tripod shake. As we all know and appreciate (at least nature photographers do,) wind is one of our biggest environmental foes that can rob us of our prize of getting a sharp photograph. Indeed, the resonant vibrations that even soft winds induce are a frustrating source of failure. To help dampen wind-induced vibrations, a simple trick that I have learned during my training in view camera photography is to use a simple umbrella to shield the wind. Because view camera photographers are hypervigilant of the wind shaking the tripod and camera bellows (in particular with a long bellows extension), I have read multiple anecdotes of photographers having shrewdly and successfully employed an open umbrella to shield the camera/tripod assembly from wind during a long exposure. Personally, I have tried this, and it works! Yes, an umbrella is an odd additional piece of “equipment” to haul around, but you just may be pleasantly surprised how effective it is and it just may make the difference between a blurred photograph and a sharp one. :-)

My next suggestion for your readers and beginners out there is to take heed of where you are setting up your tripod. Many of us have probably stopped the car along the road to set-up for a great shot that suddenly declared its presence. However, in this context, another (theoretical) foe that may contribute to resonant vibrations through the tripod is ground vibrations from passing traffic, especially if you are set up near the road with passing big rigs and trucks. This would also apply to setting up a tripod on a bridge with passing traffic. A photographer just may wish to wait for the traffic to pass or (if feasible) move further away from the road. Just one more thing to keep in mind.

I wholeheartedly agree with Richard Handler’s comment below about the utility of the monopod, which I consider an underrated piece of equipment. In his book, “The Camera: The Ansel Adams Photography Series I”, Ansel Adams personally endorses the monopod as alternative and effective tool: “Used carefully, the monopod can provide relatively stable support, and allows longer exposures than you might attempt with the camera hand-held.” p127. As a bonus, during my extended hiking forays where I deliberately carry a light load, I use my monopod as an effective hiking staff!

Finally, like camera and lenses, tripods and ball heads deserve routine care and cleaning and sometimes periodic maintenance. In particular, keeping the locks, screws, and threads free of dirt and debris would go a long way in preserving your equipment and preventing disappointing failure down the road. Two years ago, after having returned from two trips into Death Valley National Park in California, including a deliberate hiking trek to photograph the dunes during a sand storm (not recommended!), weeks later my tripod ball head failed due to debris jammed within the assembly and two of my tripod legs severely became locked from sand lodged in the threaded parts. Fortunately, Manfrotto was kind enough to repair the ball head, as it was still under warranty. But, I surely did learn my lesson. And for those photographers who enjoy photographing on sandy beaches, in particular over wet sand, I would recommend placing double Ziploc bags over the feet of the tripod legs wrapped with a rubber band as a cheap and effective way to keep out potentially corrosive salts and debris.

You are most welcome Rick, and thank you for sharing your thoughts on the use of a monopod. It works great for some situations as in your examples, but when dealing with very long exposures, it is completely useless…

Thanks Nasim for this in-dept discussion of how to properly use a tripod. I bought a tripod over a year ago and have shied away from using it because I have not found where this topic was discussed. There are lots of discussions on how to choose the right tripod but none had discussed the proper way to use it. Thanks again for this great article. I can actually take this tripod out to experiment.

Would like to know if you offer photography courses in the Dallas/Fort Worth (Texas) area?.

Victor, you are most welcome! Do give it a try to use that tripod of yours – you will be surprised by what you can get, particularly when shooting at night. I am in San Francisco right now and I have taken a few shots at night with my setup (see my image of the Bay Bridge below). Not sure what I would do without my trusty tripod!

An excellent guide, Nasim. I needed to upgrade from a basic, aluminum Manfrotto, as I frequently shoot macro and with geared head, focus rail, et al, the loads get pretty heavy. Cost no object, it would have been a top of the line RRS, but I got a great deal on a Sirui M3204X, and so far I am well impressed by it. My technique is as you describe. However, in trying to get every last bit of resolution from the D800E, how do I know that my tripod is adequate? Do i have to beg/borrow/rent a high end Gitzo or RRS and do a side by side comparison, or is there some kind of vibration test I can perform? Load up the tripod and strap a laser onto the camera? I can do that, but I don’t know to systematically test and interpret results.

Aeroengineer, I would not waste time trying to shoot test charts or comparing with other tripods to see if your tripod is adequate, since that particular tripod seems to be very solid – it is not like you are comparing a Best Buy $30 tripod to a Gitzo…

If your images are turning out blurry, it is most likely your tripod head, your plates or your technique :)

Great article. Many people think that it is just a given that you always shut off VR when mounted on a tripod. However, you need to read the owner’s manual for the lens, rather than follow this kind of generic advice. My Nikon $6,000+ telephoto lens says to leave VR on when it is mounted on a tripod.

Mark, you are absolutely right. Most lenses should have VR turned off on a tripod, but some long lenses are better off with VR turned on – they have the special “tripod” mode that knows about the presence of a tripod, so that mode simply works against wind and other potential vibrations coming from other sources.

This is another brilliant article about a topic of utmost importance to photographers. For some bizarre reason, a lot of new photographers seem to think that tripods aren’t necessary for the best results. This article puts that to rest better than any I have seen. It’s quite a talent to be able to gather up all this information and put it out there without missing a trick, but you managed. I found myself going uh huh over and over, having forgotten some of these reasons myself! Further, I really appreciated the advice about using L brackets. I have stopped doing this because I have a gimbal for the heaviest lenses and proper plating and collars for the rest, as well as a heavy duty tripod. Recently, I purchased a Mefoto Globetrotter tripod that is less stable than my other tripod….an L bracket would be very helpful and I will order one tomorrow. Obvious, but this article reminded me of the need.

Now I will ask you for one more thing. Do a similar article about lighting. This is even more complicated but new (and not so new…) photographers need to be reminded of its importance. One article of this quality is all that is needed :)

I will definitely be working on an article for lighting. I have a few things I need to finish and after that, I want to dedicate some time for writing an article on lighting gear, how to use it, techniques, etc. It won’t be a single article though, since there is a lot to cover!

Excellent article. Most important thing to me is get the best quality tripod you can. It makes no sense to put thousands of dollars of equipment on an unstable platform. People shutter at spending $300+ for a rock solid stable carbon tripod then put their D810 with a 24-70 f2.8 zoom on a $90 piece of aluminum that shakes withe the slightest breeze. Then they want to blame the camera or glass

Good article. Just a few things to consider that I didn’t see mentioned. When wind or stability is a problem, it might help to have your sandbag or gear bag firmly on the ground and secure the bag to the hook on the tripod with a bungee cord, rope, etc. The weight of the bag will then provide some steadiness and won’t be swaying. On another matter, when using a tripod in sand. I cut slits in tennis balls and place the ends of the tripod legs into the tennis balls. This can help keep the tripod legs from sinking into the sand.

I shoot with a Nikon D810 and 24-70 2.8 Nikkor. Fairly heavy set up. Does anyone have any tips on shooting in portrait view while on the tripod? Seems like the weight of the camera/lens + gravity causes the camera body to start to move unscrew from the tripod plate thread. I recently updated my ball head to the Siuri 40x, which holds up to 77 lbs, but yet it still seems to start unscrewing at the mounting thread when I apply pressure . Maybe I’m missing something obvious??

Thanks for this in depth article on tripod. I’m in the process of buying a tripod and very likely will get the Gitzo. I would like to see tech data on tripod review and comparison. I could not find any site that show real data on tripod performance. such as vibration damping, strength/weight comparison etc. Do you know anyone doing lab test on tripod?

Great Article. How about a post on What head. I have big problems here on choosing…… Tripod mot much use without a Head :) sorry if I missed the article on this one recently. Arca, Really Right, etc. True Arca Compatible etc

As a person who is extremely new to cameras and that whole world, I would greatly appreciate if someone could answer the following for me – When putting a tripod back in the bag after using it, is it correct that the head should be completely upright and not bent at all. Also, should the handles be left loose and the pan and tilt locks left unlocked?

I am an upcoming photographer and am still learning a lot of the basics when it comes to taking photos. Something I am learning a lot about right now as well is using tripods. I do not have a cable release, so it looks like I will need to add a two second delay on my self timer. I am excited to get my first tripod and get some more quality pictures. I appreciate all of these tips you have on here, they are so helpful! www.acratech.net/categ…ducts.html

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